Cat With “Dreadlocks” Of Matted Hair, Loses 2 Pounds Of Fur

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Everyone can relate to having a bad hair day, unfortunately for a cat named Hidey the bad hair day lasted for years. This poor cat was left behind when her owner with Alzheimer was moved to a nursing home. She was found with a very serious case of matting. So much so, she could barely move/walk around. But, now she finally has the chance to be happy and comfortable again.

Fittingly so, her name is Hidey because she often “hid”.

Paul Russel, a distant relative of the elderly man, was the first to think of the cat. “When they put him in the nursing home, I thought, ‘Hey, he has a cat,'” “The house was still open, so I went down and left some food for the cat until we figured out what we’re going to do. Then somebody mentioned that he had a second cat. So I started searching around, and suddenly this huge creature darts out from under the bed and runs down to the cellar, and I thought, ‘What was that?'”

Her fur was left completely abandoned, thus looking like dreadlocks. The matted hairs were about 6 to 8 inches long, and had a combination of feces and tangled hair.

“If a family member, friend or neighbor owns a pet, please help them to make sure there is a support system in place if/when mental faculties begin diminishing,” said Dan Rossi, CEO of the Animal Rescue League Shelter and Western PA Humane Society.

The hair that Hidey would shed, just stayed in the matted hair because it had no where to go. “The end of the mat contains fur [that] has been shed a long time ago. That’s how they can get to that length,” Emily P, CVT, said.

It took hours to get all the dreads removed, and then the matted hair shaved off completely.

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“All the mats were pretty much individual so it was easy to get underneath them,” Jenn Levitzki, vet tech, said.

Before they started, they had to sedate the cat so to make the kitty as comfortable as possible.

“Our Medical team shaved off the pounds of intertwined fur from her body and, needless to say, this cat is feeling so much better now!”

After years of matted hair mess, it was all shaved off!

Hidey is getting acclimated at her new home. There are hopes she will warm up to her new owners now that she is feeling better,” Caitlin Lasky of Western PA Humane Society.
Now that Hidey is free of all matted hair and dreadlocks, she’s feeling so much better. She can finally have a chance at a happy and healthy life!

Cuddling with her new human at her forever home.

Just proof that every neglected animal can get the fresh start they deserve. Share with friends!